Method for managing at least one capability characteristic of a switching system of a telecommunication network

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method and device for managing at least one capability characteristic (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ), which is subject to license or for managing at least one group (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ) of capability characteristics (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ), which are subject to license, of a switching system of a telecommunications network. According to the invention, at least one use counter (C, E 1 , E 2 ) at a time is assigned to the at least one capability characteristic (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ) and/or to the at least one group (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ) of capability characteristics (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ). Said use counter indicates the current number of uses of the capability characteristic (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ) or of the group (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ) of capability characteristics (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ). A typical use of the invention involves the sharing of a switching system by an number of service providers.

CLAIM FOR PRIORITY

This application claims priority International Application No.PCT/DE01/04581 which was published in the German language on Jun. 20,2002.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for managing at least one capabilitycharacteristic which is subject to a license or a least one group ofcapability characteristics which is subject to a license of a switchingsystem of a telecommunications network.

The invention also relates to a switching system of a telecommunicationsnetwork, whereby in the switching system at least one capabilitycharacteristic which is subject to a license and/or at least one groupof capability characteristics which is subject to a license areimplemented and the switching system is arranged so that at least onecapability characteristic which is subject to a license and/or at leastone group of capability characteristics subject to a license can bemanaged.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The manufacturers of switching systems wishing to supply and sell theirsystems worldwide must arrange their systems so that they can beflexibly adapted to customer-specific special requirements. Suchadaptations are, for example, necessary to adapt the switching systemsoptimally to the network hierarchies of different network operators andenable them to be parameterized for different specific tasks. Often itis also necessary to adapt the exchanges to different national networksignaling systems. Above and beyond this, exchange operators often havedifferent ideas and requirements with regard to the capabilitycharacteristics that they want to offer their subscribers.

For the reasons just mentioned, well known switching systems, forexample the EWSD and SURPASS switching systems from Siemens AG, arestructured so that they are easily adaptable to special features or tospecial requirements. These switching systems are specially arranged intheir software for this purpose and contain at least a greater number ofcapability characteristics than the network providers wish to offertheir customers.

Capability characteristics in this document are taken to mean networkcapability characteristics and subscriber capability characteristics.

Network capability characteristics are, for example, the dynamicthinning out of traffic for mass calls, such as for tele-dialog surveys,known as TED surveys for short. TED surveys make it possible for radiolisteners or TV viewers to take part in opinion polls by telephone,which can then be immediately analyzed. With TED surveys, the callerreaches a special directory number via a uniform prefix number thatcorresponds to their desired option. To prevent network overloadingduring TED surveys, the calls are no longer submitted to the TEDdestination address after a pre-specified number of TED calls isreached.

Another example for a network capability characteristic is the blockingof specific destinations on network overload.

Subscriber capability characteristics are taken to mean functionalitiesthat can be made available to telecommunications terminals from theswitching systems side. These capability characteristics can beservice-independent and offer additional functions which, for example,facilitate and simplify the operation of the terminal. Subscribercapability characteristics can also add to service features. Fortelephones transfer, automatic ring-back or call forwarding representcapability characteristics.

Naturally, it is not in the interest of the switching systemmanufacturers to enable the network providers to use all capabilitycharacteristics and combinations of capability characteristics unlessthey buy or obtain a license to use these capability characteristics.

Thus, it is desirable on the part of the switching system manufacturereither only to enable the capability characteristics available in therelevant switching system in accordance with a negotiated license scopeor to enable all capability characteristics and to apply license fees inaccordance with their actual usage.

With switching systems reseller characteristics can also be supported.This function allows a number of network operators to share a switchingfacility and enables them to supply their relevant subscribersindividually with capability characteristics. Here too it is desirablethat either type and scope of the usable capability characteristics canbe restricted by the switching system operator in to his various networkoperators in accordance with the license scope negotiated or that thecapability characteristics that are implemented in the switching systemare enabled and license fees are charged in accordance with their actualuse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to create a way that allows the usevolumes subject to a license of the capability characteristicsimplemented in a switching system to be optimally adapted to practicalrequirements and thus to increase the cost effectiveness of theswitching system.

According to one aspect of the invention, at least one capabilitycharacteristic subject to a license and/or at least one group ofcapability characteristics subject to a license are each assigned atleast one use counter which specifies the current number of uses of thecapability characteristic or of the group of capability characteristics.

This solution allows a switching systems manufacturer to concurrentlymonitor licenses of all capability characteristics which is subject to alicense.

If there is no intention on the part of the manufacturer to enable allcapability characteristics on an restricted basis, an advantageousvariant of the invention consists of the use counter being compared withat least one threshold value, and when this threshold value is exceededby the use counter, no further uses of this capability characteristicand/or group of capability characteristics being allowed.

It is also of advantage if the threshold value is compared with acapacity value which specifies the physically maximum possible number ofuses of the capability characteristic and/or the group of capabilitycharacteristics in the switching system.

According to another aspect of the invention, the current value of theuse counter and/or information on the capability characteristic assignedto the use counter and/or the group of capability characteristicsassigned to the use counter within the switching system is created inthe form of data.

If the capability characteristic is released on an unrestricted basis,license monitoring using periodic spot checks can be implemented; thisis done by buffering the data within the switching system at specifiedintervals.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a data table is createdfrom the data. For further evaluation by the manufacturer or exchangeoperator, the data can be dumped to an external storage medium.

Another option of transferring the data to the manufacturer or to theexchange operator comprises exchanging the dump to data between theswitching system and a telecommunications terminal via a data link.

To implement the method in accordance with the invention a switchingsystem of the type mentioned at the beginning is particularly suitablein which at least one capability characteristic subject to a licenseand/or at least one group of capability characteristics subject to alicense are each assigned at least one use counter in the exchange whichspecifies the current number of uses of at least one capabilitycharacteristic subject to a license and/or at least one a group ofcapability characteristics subject to a license.

With concurrent license monitoring it is useful for the switching systemto be set up to compare the use counter with the least one thresholdvalue and, if this threshold value is exceeded by the use counter, notto allow any further uses of the associated capability characteristicand/or the group of capability characteristics.

Furthermore, for the form of embodiment of the invention just mentionedit is of advantage if the switching system is designed to compare thethreshold value with a capacity value that specifies the physicallymaximum possible use number of at least one capability characteristicwhich is subject to a license and/or at least one group of capabilitycharacteristics which is subject to a license.

Preferably the switching system is arranged to generate the currentvalue of the use counter and/or information about the capabilitycharacteristic assigned to the use counter and/or the group ofcapability characteristics assigned to the use counter in the form ofdata. If at least one capability characteristic subject to a license orat least one group of capability characteristics subject to a licenseare released without restriction, license monitoring can be undertakenon the basis of periodic spot checks; for this purpose the switchingsystem is designed to buffer the data at specified intervals.

To facilitate the further analysis of the data, the switching system isarranged to generate a data table from the data.

Advantageously the switching system is arranged in such a way as totransfer the data onto an external storage medium.

For convenience the exchange is arranged to transmit the stored data toa telecommunications terminal over a data connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the invention are disclosed in thefollowing description of the exemplary embodiments, with reference tothe drawings in which:

FIG. 1. shows a telecommunications network with a first variant of aswitching system used in conjunction with the invention;

FIG. 2. shows a first variants of a data table created in conjunctionwith the invention with capability characteristics and their assignedcounters;

FIG. 3. shows the telecommunications network from FIG. 1 with atelecommunications terminal and a second variant of a switching systemused in conjunction with the invention; and

FIG. 4. shows a second variant of the data table from FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with FIG. 1, an Exchange VER used in conjunction with theinvention preferably features a memory SPR in which there is provisionfor a database DAT which can contain the data of all subscribers,network operators, exchange operators and capability characteristics.Advantageously, the database DAT may be based on a semi-permanentdatabase, i.e. it may have a backup copy on a hard disk of the switchingsystem VER to allow it to be restored if necessary, but can be changedduring ongoing operation.

Each capability characteristic subject to a license can be assigned theuse counter in the exchange VER. This counter specifies the currentnumber of uses of a licensed capability characteristic or of a licensedgroup of capability characteristics by an exchange operator.

For concurrent license monitoring, the number of current uses of acapability characteristic subject to a license and, as described in moredetail below, further information, for example in the form of the tableTAB, may be included.

In accordance with FIG. 2, each capability characteristic F1, F2, F3 inthe table TAB may be assigned a use counter C. This counter preferablyspecifies the current number of uses of a licensed capabilitycharacteristic F1, F2, F3 or of the group G1, G2, G3 of capabilitycharacteristics F1, F2, F3 by an exchange operator.

The creation, i.e. making a capability characteristic F1, F2, F3 usablefor a subscriber or a network operator is subject to a license, but notthe actual use in a sense of a use of capability characteristic F1, F2,F3 or group G1, G2, G3 of capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 by asubscriber or network operator. The current number of uses of acapability characteristic F1, F2, F3 or group G1, G2, G3 of capabilitycharacteristics F1, F2, F3 is thus taken to mean in this document thenumber of created, i.e. usable capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 orgroups G1, G2, G3 of capability characteristics F1, F2, F3.

The actual use of these capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 or groupsG1, G2, G3 of capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 by subscribers ornetwork operators is preferably, by contrast, not recorded.

In other words, the use counter C specifies the number of createdcapability characteristics F1, F2, F3 which is subject to a license inthe switching system VER.

The obvious choice is to group service features F1, F2, F3 which havealready found a high level of market acceptance and in many markets havealmost or actually become standard capability characteristics, such asthe “Standard” or “Komfort” ISDN service features offered by DeutscheTelekom, into groups G1, G2, G3. New or very complex capabilitycharacteristics F1, F2, F3, which are only offered individually on themarket, are licensed as individual capability characteristics F1, F2,F3.

If a subscriber or a network operator wishes to use a capabilitycharacteristic F1, F2, F3, it is usually necessary to create thiscapability characteristic F1, F2, F3 in the switching system of theTelecommunications Network to which the subscriber belongs for thissubscriber or network operator. The request to create this subscribercapability characteristic F1, F2, F3 is usually made by a correspondingapplication on the part of the subscriber or network operator. Thisapplication can be made in writing to the switching system operator whothen undertakes to create the corresponding capability characteristicF1, F2, F3.

To create a capability characteristic F1, F2, F3 for a subscriber or anetwork operator, a special command can be provided by the exchangeoperator, for example “CREATE”. Likewise, to delete a capabilitycharacteristic F1, F2, F3 for a subscriber, a command, for example“DELETE”, can be provided on the exchange operator side.

Typically, as already explained above, the subscriber and networkoperator data are stored in a database of the switching system.

A command to create a capability characteristic F1, F2, F3 or a groupG1, G2, G3 of capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 for a subscriber ornetwork operator causes a corresponding entry to be made in the area ofthe database that is assigned to this subscriber or network operator,for example in the form of a variable which is assigned to a specificcapability characteristic F1, F2, F3 or a group G1, G2, G3 of capabilitycharacteristics F1, F2, F3.

The use counter C mentioned above can adjust itself automatically in theexchange VER. Each create a command that allocates a capabilitycharacteristic F1, F2, F3 to a subscriber or a network operatorincrements the use counter C of the corresponding capabilitycharacteristic F1, F2, F3 or of the group G1, G2, G3 of capabilitycharacteristics F1, F2, F3. Each deletion command that deletes acapability characteristic F1, F2, F3 for a subscriber or networkoperator again decrements the use counter C accordingly. To implementthe incrementation or decrementation of use counter C, a program can beprovided that is started by the deletion or creation command.

Each capability characteristic F1, F2, F3 can be assigned further valuesor counters.

Thus a capacity value A gives the maximum usable number of the relevantcapability characteristic F1, F2, F3 which is produced from the currentmemory and database configuration of the exchange. The capacity value Ais computed automatically by the exchange in accordance with the currentmemory and database configuration and automatically adjusts itself aftermemory or database expansions during operation. This capacity value A isdesignated as the capacity threshold and basically functions as athreshold value for the service personnel to define the maximum extentof any increase in the number of licensed capability characteristics Fundertaken during operation, before the memory or database has to beexpanded.

The capacity value A can be obtained as the result of a generation runof an office data generation program used in the relevant exchange.These types of programs are normally used to calculate the availablememory capacity for switching systems and are known to experts.

The threshold value B specifies the maximum licensed use number of therelevant capability characteristic F for the exchange operator. Thisthreshold value represents a license threshold for capabilitycharacteristic F. When the value of use counter C exceeds this licensethreshold any further creation command for this capabilitycharacteristic F is rejected. When the license threshold is reached inthe capability characteristic use further capacity can be obtained forcustomers by deleting capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 or groupsG1, G2, G3 of capability characteristics to enable these capabilitycharacteristics F to be assigned to other customers. If the demand forcapability characteristics F1, F2, F3 is so great that not enough newcapacity can be created to satisfy demand for customers by removingcreated capability characteristics F1, F2, F3, the exchange operatormust have the license increased by the manufacturer.

Threshold values B can be advantageously modified from themanufacturer's side. Such changes can be made during operation by theservice personnel of the manufacturer in accordance with the licensescope negotiated with the relevant exchange operator.

To avoid misuse by the exchange operator or third parties, themodifications can be made under password protection. This typicallyinvolves using passwords that dynamically/automatically change inaccordance with an algorithm known on the manufacturer side. Thecapacity value A, which specifies the physically maximum usable numberof a capability characteristic as well as the threshold value B and usecounter C are, like the database mentioned at the beginning,semi-permanent.

The following relationship can be established between the use counter C,the threshold value B and the capacity value A: A>=B>=C.

For an expanded use of the invention within the framework of thereseller concept mentioned there are two further semi-permanentvalues/counters—a further threshold value D1, D2 and a further usecounter E1, E2, provided for each exchange operator occurring in theexchange.

The further threshold value D1, D2 specifies the maximum number oflicensed uses of a capability characteristic F by a reseller in respectof a further exchange operator and thus corresponds to a licensethreshold set by reseller. Any further threshold value D1, D2 can, forexample, be modified on the part of a manufacturer or the reseller.Changes can be made in ongoing operation by the relevant servicepersonnel in accordance with the license scope negotiated with therelevant exchange operator.

The further use counter E1, E2 preferably specifies the number ofcapability characteristics F1, F2, F3 actually used by the relevantexchange operator. The further use counter E1, E2 can automaticallyadjust itself for use/creation of a capability characteristic F1, F2, F3for a customer of an exchange operator in exchange system.

In the case of reseller who provides a number of exchange operators withcapability characteristics F1, F2, F3, the use counter C for one ofthese capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 corresponds to the sum ofthe further use counter E1, E2 which are assigned to this capabilitycharacteristic.

In general, the following relationships between the individual countersor values can be established

$A \geq B \geq {\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{i}D_{n}} \geq {\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{i}E_{n}}$and D_(n)≧E_(n) for n=1, 2, . . .

In which A is the capacity value described above, E is the thresholdvalue for the maximum use number, D_(n) is the relevant reseller licensethreshold for a specified number of further exchange operators and E_(n)is the reseller use counter belonging to the individual reseller orlicense thresholds. Each command to create a capability characteristicF1, F2, F3 for a customer of an exchange operator increments usecounters C, E1, E2 of the relevant capability characteristic F1, F2, A3or of the group G of capability characteristics F1, F2, F3. When thecounter status of the further use counter E1, E2 exceeds the resellerlicense threshold D, the corresponding command is rejected. Each commandto delete a capability characteristic for a customer decrements thereseller use counters E1, E2 accordingly.

When the license threshold of a reseller is reached in the use of acapability characteristic, further capacity can be obtained by deletingthose capability characteristics of this reseller to enable thesecapability characteristics F1, F2, F3 to be assigned to other customersof the same reseller. If necessary, the reseller must have the licensesincreased by the exchange operator.

Another embodiment of the invention in accordance with FIG. 3 consistsof all capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 being enabled withoutrestriction of license monitoring and being undertaken on the basis ofperiodical spot checks or memory dumps of switching system VER. In thiscase the license threshold of a capability characteristic F1, F2, F3 isthe same as the capacity value A which defines the physically maximumpossible number of uses of this capability characteristic F1, F2, F3.

If all capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 are enabled withoutrestriction, further capacity can be obtained for customers, as with theconcurrent license monitoring mentioned above, by deleting capabilitycharacteristics F1, F2, F3, in order to assign these capabilitycharacteristics F1, F2, F3 to other customers.

License monitoring on the basis of periodic spot checks is based on thefact that a data collector on request or at specified intervals searchesthrough the semi-permanent database of the data bank of an exchangesystem VER for created capability characteristics F1, F2, F3. This datacollector can be implemented in the form of a program that records allthe network operators, subscribers and exchange operators that occurwithin the exchange. Furthermore, the data collector explicitly knowsall capability characteristics F1, F2, F3, that are implemented withinthe exchange. In the data collector, each capability characteristic F1,F2, F3 is represented by separate use counter C or, in case of a numberof exchange operators, by a further use counter E, which specifies thenumber of current uses, i.e. the created capability characteristics F1,F2, F3 or the groups G1, G2, G3 of capability characteristics F1, F2,F3.

It is useful to collect the results of this database evaluation in adata table TAB1, of which an example is shown in FIG. 4, within theexchange. In this data table TAB1, each capability characteristic isrepresented by its use counters or its further use counters E1, E2.After complete evaluation of the database, this data table TAB1 containsthe complete information about all capability characteristics ofswitching system VER used at the time that the data was dumped.

Data table TAB1 can be extracted for further evaluation onto an externalstorage medium EXT or transmitted via a data link to othertelecommunications systems TEK, for example a computer. The number ofuses determined from data table TAB1, the capability characteristics F1,F2, F3 subject to a license or the groups G1, G2, G3 of capabilitycharacteristics F1, F2, F3 subject to a license then form the basis forcalculating the license fees. Data table TAB1, in a manner of speaking,represents a snapshot of the capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 ofthe exchange VER which is subject to a license. The frequency with whichthis data table TAB1 is created and is extracted from exchange by themanufacturer is basically subject to an agreement between the exchangeoperator(s) and the manufacturer. The procedure just described formonitoring capability characteristics F1, F2, F3 which are subject to alicense is based on the practical assumption that the number of createdcapability characteristics F1, F2, F3 remains approximately constant inthe period between two data dumps.

An advantage of the invention is that capability characteristics F whichis subject to a license are billed in the switching systems inaccordance with their actual use.

1. A method for managing at least one capability characteristic or atleast one group of capability characteristics which is subject to alicense of a switching system of a telecommunications network,comprising: assigning at least one use counter which specifies thecurrent number of created capability characteristics or the group ofcreated capability characteristics to the at least one capabilitycharacteristic, which is subject to a license, and/or to the at leastone group of capability characteristics, which is subject to a license.2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the use counter is comparedwith at least one threshold value and if this threshold value isexceeded, no further uses of this capability characteristic and/or thegroup of capability characteristics are allowed.
 3. The method accordingto claim 2, wherein the threshold value is compared with a capacityvalue which specifies the physically maximum possible use number of thecapability characteristic and/or the group of capability characteristicsin the switching system.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein thecurrent value of the use counter and/or information about the capabilitycharacteristics assigned to the use counter and/or the group ofcapability characteristics assigned to the use counter within theswitching system is created in the form of data.
 5. The method accordingto claim 4, wherein the data is buffered within the switching system atspecifiable intervals.
 6. The method according to claim 4 wherein a datatable is created from the data.
 7. The method according to claim 4,wherein the data is dumped onto an external storage medium.
 8. Themethod according to claim 4, wherein the data is exchanged between theswitching system and a telecommunications terminal over a data link. 9.A switching system of a telecommunications network, in which at leastone capability characteristic or at least one group of capabilitycharacteristics, which is subject to a license, is implemented in theswitching system and the switching system is arranged to manage at leastone capability characteristic or at least one group of capabilitycharacteristics, wherein the at least one capability characteristic,which is subject to a license, and/or the at least one group ofcapability characteristics, which is subject to a license, is assignedat least one incrementable and decrementable use counter in theswitching system which specifies the current number of createdcapability characteristic, which are subject to a license, or the groupof created capability characteristics, which is subject to a license.10. The switching system according to claim 9, wherein the switchingsystem is arranged to compare the use counter to at least one thresholdvalue, and when this threshold value is exceeded by the use counter, nofurther uses of this capability characteristic and/or the group ofcapability characteristics are allowed.
 11. The switching systemaccording to claim 10, wherein the switching system is arranged tocompare the threshold value to a capacity value which specifies thephysically maximum possible use number of the capability characteristicand/or the group of capability characteristics.
 12. The switching systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the switching system is arranged to createa current value of the use counter and/or information about thecapability characteristics assigned to the use counter and/or the groupof capability characteristics assigned to the use counter in the form ofdata.
 13. The switching system according to claim 12 wherein theswitching system is arranged to buffer the data at specified intervals.14. The switching system according to claim 12, wherein the switchingsystem is arranged to create a data table from the data.
 15. Theswitching system according to claim 12, wherein the switching system isarranged to transfer the data onto an external storage medium.
 16. Theswitching system according to claim 12, wherein the switching system isarranged to transfer the buffered data to a telecommunications terminalvia a data link.